Does anyone own a Jack Russell?!

[TropicPlunder]

Inspired by the bichon thread from earlier .
I'm in the early contemplating stages of a second dog, and have always liked JRTs. I've met some awesome little dogs, but not known any well enough to know what goes on in the background .
So....do they need a farm or regular ratting trips to be content? Or can they be great family dogs in an active home with decent garden and doggy company?

We have to be very careful when we are coming in or out and fencing has all been updated and extra fencing put in. He hasn’t managed to get out for about 6 weeks - touch wood -

I just had to add a picture of our hairy moulting beast.
Despite that, he was truly a one off, a wonderful dog and I still miss him.

Hooray for photos! They're all lovely. Thanks all, for the input

Iv a Jr and had her from a puppy and brought her up around my children.
She's never attacked my children but has a couple of times flown for strange children when they've tried to stroke her and she couldn't get away.
I would say she loves walks and could spend hours hunting.
She's v intelligent and I think she's the best dog.

Can I just say mine has never yapped and has never been an ankle biter

Mine is also allergy prone and has a lot of trouble with her anal glands.

I have a mostly JRT. She's very quiet, rarely barks and when she does it's quite a deep bark which is surprising for such a small, dog. She doesn't usually get up before 11am. Well she will come out and say hello, have some breakfast and get back under her duvet. If it's raining it will be rare to see her at all - she hates rain and refuses to walk in it. Mostly though she loves her walks but it's stop and sniff more than exercise and three miles is her max. She sheds enough hair daily to coat a polar bear. She seems good with children, our youngest was 5 when we got her. She is rarely off lead outside though as she has form for vanishing after rabbits, cats, a notion, whatever and becoming completely deaf to us.

Our JRT took over from the most amazing Golden retriever and so had big paw prints to follow even though it mostly felt like two different species they are so different but she is just as good in the most fundamental ways: loyal (when there isn't a better offer around), quiet (so long as a cat doesn't look in our general direction), mellow (ditto the cat/rabbit/figment of her imagination) and coating every surface in hair (her forte).

We have two JRTs.

The male is not like any JRT I have known and DNA tests reveal he has something like chi and a herder breed mixed in there so I'll discount him here for not being true to type.

The female is straight up, JRT, through and through. She is a BIG dog in a little body and has not been/is not easy. She is very rewarding, though.

All her good: in the house she is calm and cuddly and loyal. She will sleep for hours at my feet when I am working from home. She will curl up by your side when you are sick and won't leave your side. She is beautifully social with other dogs in so far as all her communication signals are clear and approproate. She is tolerant without being a pushover with other dogs and is able to read their signals clearly and act on them. She was once very badly attacked by another dog (skinned - literally) and bounced back like a champ, both physically and psychologically. She is stoic and can has endured attacks and operations without fuss - never needed a cone of shame because if you ask her leave her stiches alone, she will. She is always ready for an adventure and in her older years she has brilliant off lead. Recently we had to track over several fields to help find a lost dog and she was 100% by my side for all of it - climing over fences and everything. I think it was her favourite bit of the walk! She's 13 years old and still plays like a puppy. She'd have been a fiend for agility and I regret she didn't live with me earlier so I could take her.

Her bad: she is reactive to noises and barks a LOT. If allowed, she would work herself into an absolute frenzy and needs patience and love to calm her down. She moults like a demon. In her younger years her recall was shocking if she saw a bird or squirrel - though in open spaces with a tennis ball she was focussed on you. This has changed as she has aged. She is occasionally messy in the house - I think she is easily distracted from toileting in the garden and sometimes finds herself caught short indoors. She is food focussed (this can also be a good thing, for training). She can easily get over stimulated and excited and is prone to obsessing about things if she finds them exciting - this can make training tricky because something fun easily becomes something TOO fun to learn. She tolerates but does not like children and would avoid them, if poss.

I love the bones of her and she will go down in the story of our family as one of the greats, but it's not a breed I would choose to have again. I'd go for something just a little less high octance (border?)...

I also have a JRT

He's a happy, friendly little dog, likes to say hello to people and likes a lot of fuss.

Some dogs he will say hello to, mostly rolls over for them, some he ignores. Mostly will play happily.

Generally he is wary of cats!

Loves to chase balls, disembowel squeaky toys and play tug.

I only let him off lead if we are out in country or on beach as he has no sense at all regarding traffic, always pulling on his lead to run out in road. Recall - he will come for a treat as part of training at home, out he will return with his ball and stay within 2 feet of you but is difficult getting back on his lead.

Not at all snappy, quite cuddly, curls up on my lap. Doesn't like going out in rain.

As others have said, moults a lot. Will dig if left in garden and his 'demands ' for play are not met.

His main downside is his barking. He's very, very vocal. And his 'demand' bark is very high pitched. He barks if he's happy, excited, hungry, cross. He also guards us from any noise across the street, or on TV and will suddenly awake, growl then bark, bark, bark!

He's a very beautiful little dog.

My only issue with mine round kids is that she loves a tug of war game with a toy, stick or the odd sock. She can get excited and go to snatch the toy. My worry is if the child is holding the toy and she accidentally gets their fingers when going for the toy.
She is so loving and is very gentle round people and the cats. It's just the toy especially if it squeaks.
She also digs awesome holes - all over my garden !

I have 2. Never had one before always had labs , poodles or colliesbit jack russells are the best.

Very intelligent, which means you do have to get the training right as they can quickly learn bad as well as good.

Mine are well behaved, amazing with children, cats and dogs can take them anywhere

Oh and mine are lazy. Not on a farm , just a normal semi they do go for a walk every day but certainly not for hours at s time!

I've got a JRT crossbreed, rescued from horrible circumstances (used as fighting bait, caged in a tiny cage etc) who is an absolute treasure of a dog.
His only irritating behaviour is reacting when he sees a strange dog.
He adores been cuddled up whatever time of day, loves a good walk but is content to do without if the weather's really bad. He's as daft as a brush. Brilliant with children. With time he's come to realise humans at the enemy and has become the most loyal, loving dog I know. Is happy to spend time with his friends including loopy lurchers.

Thanks for all the stories
....think I might do a follow up on border terriers, and crosses thereof! Just for balance.
Did you get your JRTs from breeders? Farm dogs? Rescues? I like the type, not bothered about pedigree, but bothered about welfare. Seems to be fewer breeders of JRTs around than other breeds

DDog came from a friend who couldn't look after him any more, though he narrowly avoided going into a rescue centre on two occasions. There are lots in rescue centres to choose from, partly I think because they're a common breed and every small terrier of uncertain breeding gets called a JRT cross, and partly I suspect because their exercise requirements are often underestimated due to them being small.

The KC only recognised the JRT as a breed in 2016 which probably explains the lack of registered breeders.

I'd definitely go to a rescue if I was going to get another JRT.

I'd be keen on rescue. Can deal with energy requirements, and unknown heritage; but we have an existing dog and small child which may be more complicated (the situation, I mean. Dog and child not complicated types!).
I can imagine them being given up for not making the grade as lapdogs though....

I had my first JRT when I was 26 & single,she was a puppy from a working farm,her Mum was called Mavis & her Dad was called Sid
We were best friends for 18 years.
She was brilliant with my dd1,as a baby & a toddler.Then had dd2 7 years later,who has SN & she was great with her too.
She was very dog reactive (but adored my Mum & Dads staffy) & was selective over what people she liked.I remember my now dh coming back to my house for the first time & I had warned him about her & how she may not like him.But she just jumped on his knee.I knew he was ok after that!
She died a couple of years ago & I knew I would have to have another JRT,so we got a rescue one.
She is very similar to my first one. Not over keen on other dogs but she is very people friendly & laid back.She is definitely my dog & always follows me everywhere,will only sit next to me on the sofa (& she has to be touching me) but she also is obsessed with light/shadows & will chase them incessantly for ages.We also think she hasn't got the best eyesight,as she completely misjudges distances when jumping,which can be quite amusing.She's not particularly yappy,unless she sees a cat
I personally love JRT's & think they are great dogs,full of feistyness & personality but I know they're not for everyone.

Sorry,that should say she's NOT particularly yappy,unlees she sees a cat.

Here's my JRT 

Glad I read this thread. Think I need to consider a different dog actually.

But Oblomov.....look at that face!
She's lovely, Chickens

My lovely JRT passed away two years ago and I still miss him. We rescued him when he was older but I believe he was an escape artist when younger. He was very yappy, but so are lots of small dogs. He was very reactive to bigger dogs, but he didn’t moult much at all! I would love another Jack but don’t want a puppy or youngster and haven’t yet found the right one in rescue.

I wouldn't trust my rescue JRT around children at all.

JRs have only recently been recognised by the KC so most of them are quite mongrelly and differ hugely. Mine is a mixture but the JR predominates (wish it didn’t)
He doesn’t moult and has little prey drive but is very excitable and barks at everything. He can be nasty to other dogs, usually the sweet nice ones.
He’s hard work and I deeply regret the JR part.

I used to ride horses and most of the stables had them - horrible, snappy little things.

One of my old friends had one, I always thought she was very sweet until she bit me for daring to stroke the other dog that had come to me for a cuddle.

And my in laws have one, and a JRT x Yorkie.
The cross is a nice little dog apart from the barking.
The jack is an affectionate little soul with adults but she is nervous around children and quite the bully and control freak with other dogs; other dogs can't get excited because she'll correct them, she'll take all toys off any other dog and hog them for herself.

I think if we'll socialised and trained they are probably nice, fun little dogs but they really aren't for me